The Supreme Court on Friday said the final resolution drawn and signed by the members of the Collegium is required to be published on the apex court website.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lanka Dinakar on Sunday alleged a scam worth Rs 20,000 crores in the rice distribution scheme in Andhra Pradesh, citing the Right to Information (RTI) and RBI data.

Canara bank revealed the debt loan figures but denied revealing information on the defaulters by invoking a clause in the Right to Information (RTI) Act. According to a Money Life report, Canara Bank has written off bad debts worth ₹ 1.29 lakh crore in the past 11 years, the public... The post appeared first on .

Canara bank revealed the debt loan figures but denied revealing information on the defaulters by invoking a clause in the Right to Information (RTI) Act. According to a Money Life report, Canara Bank has written off bad debts worth ₹ 1.29 lakh crore in the past 11 years, the public... The post appeared first on .

New Delhi [India], January 12 (ANI): Hockey India moves Delhi High Court against the Central Information Commission (CIC) order dated December 13, 2021 directing the Public Information Officers of the petitoner to disclose certain information, allegedly including list of its members and employee salaries under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Bhopal Dec 24 PTI Madhya Pradeshs General Administration Department GAD has declined to share details of applicants who had applied for the posts of Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners in the stateIn response to an RTI query filed by social activist Ajay Dubey it said the desired information cannot be shown to the applicant as files carrying the relevant details are in circulationDubey had sought details of applications received for the Information Commissioners posts in the state Information Commission He had also sought to see the relevant file notings in addition to getting their certified copiesThe GAD being the coordinating authority for the implementation of the RTI Act has wrongfully declined the desired information Public authorities are mandated to decline information citing relevant provisions of the transparency law In this case the GAD has refused to share the details without citing any clause of the RTI Act and merely said that the desired information is under process he saidDubey said that an appeal will be filed against the GADs inappropriate reply The state government had in November this year called for applications for Information Commissioners The last date for submitting application was November 30 PTI AKV RCJ

Guwahati Dec 20 PTI With several departments failing to submit their annual reports to it despite repeated reminders the Assam Information Commission has recommended to the state government to take action against them In the annual report of the Assam Information Commission for 2020-21 tabled in the state assembly on Monday the panel said seven departments failed to submit their reports on the public authorities under their jurisdiction despite several reminders These departments include Education Elementary and Higher Finance Parliamentary Affairs and PWD Roads Twelve more departments submitted partial reports without covering all the public authorities under them The commission strongly recommends suitable action against the departments which have failed to comply with statutory provisionsof the RTI Act the report said It termed efforts by the state government to create awareness regarding provisions of the Right to Information RTI Act as inadequate and advocated for more measures to encourage greater participation of women and people from rural areas in filing RTI applications Iterating that filing of RTI petitions complaints and appeals is restricted to a small group the report pointed out that more than 90 per cent of all RTI complaints and second appeal petitions filed before it are by a group of six to seven activists Filing multiple RTI applications before different authorities on the same subject or before the same authority by an applicant may amount to disproportionate diversion of resources it said The commission iterated its proposal for the deletion of CID and Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences BIEO from the list of exempted organisations under the RTI Act as these are investigating agencies and not intelligence and security organisations which are kept out of the purview of the RTI Act It also suggested that the amended RTI Rules be published without any further delay PTI SSG MM MM

New Delhi Dec 19 PTI The Central Information Commission has directed Hockey India to disclose the purpose behind funds transferred by it to foreign accounts and cash withdrawals from its accounts after the information was withheld by the federation on the grounds of commercial confidence Activist Subhas Agrawal had filed a 20-point RTI application in October 2019 seeking details about the functioning of Hockey India including signatories and their designations on bank accounts fund transfers made to foreign accounts and cash withdrawals made from its accounts and their purpose Hockey India refused information on these points on the grounds of it being exempted from disclosure under Section 81dcommercial confidence clause of the RTI Act Agrawal approached the CIC the highest adjudicating body under the RTI Act challenging Hockey Indias response He stated he had only sought the designation of the signatories and the name of the bank accounts and that the question of confidentiality was not applicable here Agrawal said that with regard to the information related to fund transfers to different countries Hockey India should have disclosed the information in accordance with Section 82 of the RTI Act larger public interest because any amount that has been transferred to a different country is in larger public interest With regard to cash withdrawals from Hockey India bank accounts Agrawal said that after demonetisation most of the transactions have been digitised yet he has knowledge from reliable sources that cash withdrawals are being made by Hockey India Hence he wants to know the averred information and accordingly requested the commission to direct the respondent provide complete information Information Commissioner Amita Pandove said In her order Pandove directed Hockey India to provide designations of the signatories on bank accounts only She also directed the federation to only provide purpose of fund transfer to bank accounts in foreign countries and cash withdrawals by Hockey India PTI ABS AAR

New Delhi Oct 29 PTI The Delhi High Court Friday preponed the hearing on pleas to declare the PM CARES Fund a State under the Constitution and a public authority under the RTI Act to ensure transparency in its functioningA bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh allowed the plea of the petitioner to prepone the date of hearing in the matter and changed the date from November 30 to November 18Looking into the facts of the case the writ petition was adjourned on November 30 The same is preponed now and the registry is now directed to list the matter on November 18 it saidThe court said it was slightly preponing the date on the insistence of senior advocate Shyam Divan representing petitioner Samyak GangwalThe petitioner has filed two petitioners seeking a direction to declare the PM CARES Fund a State under the Constitution to ensure transparency in its functioning and also to declare it a public authority under the RTI Act The pleas are being heard togetherThe petitioner has said that the PM CARES Fund is a State as it was formed by the Prime Minister on March 27 2020 to extend assistance to the citizens of India in the wake of the public health emergency -- the ongoing COVID-19 PandemicHis counsel had told the court that if it is found that the PM CARES Fund is not State under the Constitution usage of the domain name gov the Prime Ministers photograph state emblem etc has to be stoppedHowever an affidavit filed by an Under Secretary at the Prime Ministers Office PMO who is discharging his functions in the PM Cares Trust on honorary basis had said the PM CARES Fund is not a government fund as donations to it do not go to the Consolidated Fund of India and no third party information can be parted with irrespective of its status under the Constitution and the RTI ActIt had said the trust functions with transparency and its funds are audited by an auditor -- a chartered accountant drawn from the panel prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General of IndiaIt had vehemently contended that irrespective of the status of Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund PM CARES Fund under the Constitution and the RTI Act it is not permissible to disclose third party informationIrrespective of whether the trust is a State or other authority within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution or whether it is a public authority within the meaning of provisions of the RTI Act it is not permissible to disclose third party information it had addedIt had said that all donations received by the trust are received via online payments cheques or Demand Drafts and the amount received is audited with the audited report and the expenditure of the trust fund displayed on the websiteThe officer who filed the affidavit had said he was discharging his functions in the PM CARES Trust on an honorary basis which was a charitable trust not created by or under the Constitution or by any law made by the Parliament or by any State legislatureOpposing the stand that the PM CARES Fund was not a government fund the petitioners lawyer had said there was no factor to show that the fund was private in natureHe had said the Constitution does not permit a government functionary to establish a structure out of its reachThe petition said the Trustees of the fund are the Prime Minister Defence Minister Home Minister and the Finance Minister and immediately after the formation of the fund the Centre through its high government functionaries represented that the fund was set up and operated by the Government of IndiaTo ensure transparency and accountability the plea has sought a direction for periodic auditing of PM CARES website and disclosure of the details of donations received by itIn his alterative prayers Gangwal has sought to direct the Centre to publicise that the PM CARES Fund is not a fund of the Government of India and to restrain PM CARES from using Prime Minister of India or Prime Minister including its abbreviations its name on its website Trust Deed and other official or unofficial communications and advertisementsOn March 9 the court had said it was not inclined to issue notice on the plea as the Centre was already represented through counsel who may file their written submissionsThe petition challenges a June 2 2020 order of the Central Public Information Officer CPIO PMO refusing to provide documents sought by him on the ground that PM CARES Fund is not a public authority under the RTI ActSolicitor General Tushar Mehta who represented PMO had opposed the petition stating that it was not maintainable and he would file a response explaining why it should not be entertained PTI SKV SA

New Delhi Oct 17 PTI The Supreme Court has directed the Delhi High Court to decide the applicability of the Right to Information RTI Act to intelligence and security organisations of the government while setting aside its order directing a department to furnish information to an employee on seniority and promotionsA bench of Justices M R Shah and A S Bopanna said the high court passed the directions without deciding the objection of the government department that the RTI Act was not applicable to itIt is the specific case on behalf of the Department that the RTI Act was not applicable to the organisationdepartment Despite the above and without deciding such an objection the high court has directed the appellant to furnish the documents sought under the RTI Act without deciding the applicability of the RTI Act That will be putting the cart before the horse the bench saidThe apex court said the high court ought to have decided the issue with respect to the applicability of the RTI Act to the organisation or department firstWe direct the high court to first decide the issue with respect to the applicability of the RTI Act to the appellant organisationdepartment and thereafter decide the stay applicationLPA The aforesaid exercise shall be completed within a period of eight weeks the bench said in its recent orderThe top court was hearing an appeal filed by the Centre against the 2018 decision of the high court which directed the department to provide information to the employee within 15 daysThe counsel appearing on behalf of the Centre had told the high court that the Department from which information was sought is exempted as per Section 241 of the RTI Act 2005 Therefore the order of the CIC is illegal and contradictory to the provisions of the Section 24 of the RTI ActSection 24 of the RTI Act exempts certain intelligence and security organisations from the ambit of the transparency law except for information pertaining to allegations of corruption and human rights violationsThe high court had said that since the employee was facing prejudices regarding seniority he sought information mentioned above and that the information neither hampers with intelligence nor security nor secrecy of the petitioner organisationThough the petitioner organisation is kept away from RTI Act but that is not regarding the information to its employee if any of his rights have been deniedThe information sought by the respondent from the petitioner does not come under Section 24 of the Act the high court had said PTI PKS DV DV